XXL 530S and XXL 540S iPhone apps alone

I'm not sure if we're ready to say that stand-alone portable navigation
units (a la TomTom and Garmin) have jumped the shark, but with the
proliferation of handheld devices and smartphones with integrated
navigation comes the inevitable question of obsolescence. Not to be
content with the development with its recent iPhone apps alone, TomTom
has just announced that it will be launching a new series of standalone
GPS navigators under the XXL series name that it hopes will get the
attention of those drivers seeking higher-end features and a larger
touchscreen.
TomTom announced today that it would be adding two more product
offerings to its already expansive list of US-marketed standalone GPS
navigation systems. The two new models, released under the XXL series,
will be the TomTom XXL 530S and TomTom XXL 540S. The main product
differentiation point on both models is found in their significantly
larger 5-in touchscreens. This marks a departure from the traditional
3.5-in screens that are seen gracing the dashboards of most cars in
America today. TomTom is claiming that their customers want larger
screens so they are giving them larger screens. Pretty simple logic, really.

XXL 530S (left), earlier 330S (right)
Both the TomTom XXL 530S and XXL 540S will include TomTom's IQ Routes
technology that's based on historical speed measurements for every time
of day and for every road segment. TomTom claims that it is this
technology that has resulted in faster driving routes for up to 35% of
the cases they have investigated. Both devices will also come with full
maps of the US and Canada and TomTom Map Share technology so you can
make map corrections and download other's map corrections (if you are
the trusting sort)
The slightly more appropriated XXL 540S comes with a few more bells and
whistles worth mentioning. These upgrades include Advanced Lane
Guidance, which is supposed to provide realistic representations of
complex highway junctions and lane-specific visual directions that take
the stress out of navigating these otherwise challenging areas. I don't
know about you, but the only thing that could really effect my level of
stress while driving would be fewer drivers. Maybe a vaporization ray
will come standard in the next rendition. The 540S also gets a
pre-loaded map of Mexico (along with the standard US and Canada) and
seven million points of interest.
The new TomTom XXL 530S and XXL 540S devices will be in retailers across
the United States and Canada sometime in October for $279.95 and $299.95
respectively. For more information on these and the other TomTom
navigation units you can surf on over to www.tomtom.com.